Publisher's Summary

From the best selling author of
You Just Don't Understand comes another groundbreaking examination of the way we communicate - in public, in the media, in politics, in our courtrooms and classrooms - letting us see in a new way forces that are powerfully shaping our lives. We live in a pervasive warlike atmosphere that makes us approach anything we need to accomplish as a fight between two opposing sides - urging us to regard the world in an adversarial frame of mind. Tannen explores the roots of this argument culture, the role played by gender, and how other cultures suggest alternative ways to negotiate disagreement and mediate conflicts so that we, as a society, can find constructive and creative ways of resolving disputes and differences.

Understanding the poisonous argument culture

Though written in the 1990s Deborah Tannen's explanations and analysis is spot on and demonstrates why the poisonous political climate has not changed. This is not only or primarily about the political climate though but also personal relationships. A must, listen and then get a copy of the book.